DONKEY FOOT CARE — NOTES FOR
FARRIERS
INTRODUCTION
Just like horses, most donkeys will require a foot trim every 6-10 weeks however
care must be taken when trimming donkey’s feet as there are many ways in which
the anatomy differs from horse feet. These notes are intended to provide an
overview of those differences and a guide to the trimming of normal and overgrown
feet, as well as some of the commonly encountered conditions and their treatments.
THE NORMAL DONKEY FOOT
As can be seen from Figure 1 on page 2, there are several differences between the donkey and horse
foot:
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Hoof pastern axis is more upright and can be broken forward compared to the horse
Hoof walls are more upright (5−10˚more).
Frog is usually wider than in the horse
Sole is U shaped with a flare to the heels.
Sole grows nearly as much as the walls.
White line should be 1mm wide (an increase could indicate laminitis or white line disease).
Heels need trimming regularly.
Donkeys are adapted to dry climates so hooves have a higher water content and are more ‘elastic’
than horse hooves.
TRIMMING THE NORMAL FOOT
Trim every 6-10 weeks as required. Take care with older donkeys — arthritic changes may mean they
resent lifting of the limbs. Try to keep limbs as low as possible during trimming.
TOOLS
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Your normal farrier kit
Half round nippers
Loop knife
Short bladed knife
Coarse rasp
SOLE
Remove any loose or unhealthy material. Trim frog to a tidy ‘V’ shape. Pare sole so that it is concave
and gives slightly with firm thumb pressure.
Figure 1: A comparison of the donkey and horse foot
Source: The Donkey Sanctuary
Page 2 | September 16
WALL
Outer layers can be bevelled with a rasp to prevent splitting but avoid excessive rasping.
The point of the frog or mid-point of the sole should be approximately 6mm (1/4 in) above the wall so
that the walls are weight bearing — not the sole.
Above: A correctly trimmed donkey foot
TRIMMING THE OVERGROWN FOOT
The overgrown foot (see Figure 2) often has long heels which have collapsed under the foot resulting
in the donkey’s foot resembling a ‘Turkish slipper’. This causes the flexor tendons and joints to be
under great stress so it is advisable to consult a vet as pain relief is often necessary.
Radiographs (see Figure 2) should also be obtained prior to trimming to check the position of the pedal
bone within the hoof and determine the degree of laminitic change.
Figure 2: The overgrown foot
The images show an overgrown donkey foot on the left and a radiograph of an overgrown donkey foot
on the right.
Source: The Donkey Sanctuary
Page 3 | September 16
Post radiographs it is possible to remove all overgrown horn in one trim following the guidelines below
(see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Removing the overgrown horn
(All images are of the same donkey foot)
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First plan your trim using the radiographs for guidance.
Clean trim and shape sole first.
Trim hoof wall starting at the heels. Always bear in mind the position of the pedal bone.
Once the heels have been trimmed and a more normal shape has been recovered, the long toe can
be addressed.
5. When rasping back the hoof wall, use a finger’s width of horn at the top of the coronary band as a
guide for the angle of the front wall.
Source: The Donkey Sanctuary
SEEDY TOE
The affected horn has a grey crumbly texture with lesions varying in severity from minor slits in the
hoof wall to extensive cavities with separation of the wall from the white line. Seedy toe lesions are
rarely painful unless there is extensive hoof instability, but the widened white line may allow entry of
organisms and subsequent abscess formation.
In severe cases the farrier should work with a veterinarian. All necrotic and discoloured material
(Figure 4) should be removed to expose clean, healthy horn. Exposure is necessary to provide an
aerobic environment which inhibits bacterial and fungal colonisation. It is possible to resect high up the
hoof wall (more so than in the horse), to remove all the affected material. (Figure 4). Due to caudal
load bearing in a donkey, extensive dorsal hoof wall resection may not require shoe support as it would
in a horse.
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If extensive resection is necessary radiographs may be appropriate to check for any laminitic changes
that might affect the stability of P3.
Figure 4: Treating Seedy Toe
The images show the grey crumbly appearance of seedy toe within the white line on the left and an
example of a hoof post seedy toe removal on the right— showing how much hoof wall can safely be
removed in one trim without needing shoe support.
Source: The Donkey Sanctuary
POST TREATMENT
Post seedy toe removal it may be useful to apply ‘sugardine’ to the
exposed hoof to promote drying and hardening. ‘Sugardine’ can be
made by combining povidone-iodine and granulated sugar to form a
crumbly mixture which also has a fungicidal and antibacterial action.
Keep in place by applying under a thick cotton wool pad and a layer of
cohesive bandage (see Figure 5). Duct tape or silage bag patches can
be used to waterproof the bandage (see Figure 5). Change every 2
days until the desired effect has been achieved.
Figure 5: Seedy Toe aftercare
Page 5 | September 16
Above: Sugardine
Source: The Donkey Sanctuary
THE LAMINITIC FOOT
The laminitic foot may require more frequent trimming or veterinary consultation to provide radiographs
for confirmation of position or changes to P3 and depth of sole assessment. Radiographs will also
show the position of the frog in relation to P3. The tip of P3 is approximately 2cm in front of the point of
the frog in a donkey - this means frog supports or heart bar shoes are not appropriate treatments for
laminitic donkeys as these could exacerbate rotational forces. Instead pad the entire sole using thick
cotton wool and bandage as previously described.
In some laminitic donkeys the sole may be too thin to trim. If radiographs are not available then use
thumb pressure test to check for yielding of sole and stop trim once this point is reached.
In these cases of thin soles which are load bearing, it may be appropriate to apply ‘rim shoes’ to
donkeys for support. Ensure the donkey’s foot is clean and dry before application of Super Fast glue to
form a plastic shoe (Figure 6).
Figure 6: Applying ‘rim shoes’
First apply Super Fast to build up a shoe shape. Once finished building up layers, rasp evenly.
Source: The Donkey Sanctuary
Watch how to apply ‘rim shoes’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T21JkFs3YoI
Access our Donkey Trimming DVD at https://vimeo.com/182293658
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Author: Veterinary Department
© The Donkey Sanctuary. All rights reserved 2015
Published 2016
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